An unsent letter dated January 15, 1992, addressed by Nikki Craft to Dorothy Ehrlich of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. The letter disputes statements Craft said Ehrlich had made to the press about the December 15, 1991 ACLU Bill of Rights Day event at the Westin Hotel in San Francisco.

Craft describes seven women distributing the “Happy Bill of Rights Day” leaflet in hallways, a lobby, and nearby cocktail rooms where tickets were not required. She states that demonstrators, including Melissa Farley and Penny Seator, were grabbed and told they could not leaflet; that staff demanded tickets selectively; and that the women continued their political activity without intending to disrupt the celebration.

The letter gives Craft’s contemporaneous account of entering the auditorium with a ticket and carrying a large framed artwork. She states that ACLU staff attorney Matthew Coles grabbed her and the artwork, breaking its frame and causing minor cuts to two fingers, while one or more women grabbed her from behind. She identifies Marcia Gallo as one of the women based on a witness’s account. Craft disputes claims that the ACLU facilitated the leafleting and argues that lying about political activity is itself a form of censorship.

Archival Significance

This document preserves Nikki Craft’s own near-contemporaneous narrative of the Bill of Rights Day action, the treatment of the women leafleting, the damage to the framed political artwork, and the dispute over how the event was represented to the press. Because the letter was never sent, it should be read as an unsent draft and first-person historical account, not as proof that Dorothy Ehrlich received or responded to these statements.

Editorial Treatment

The publication version makes minor corrections to spelling, punctuation, and obvious typographical errors. The draft’s reference to December 15, 1992 was corrected to December 15, 1991 because the letter is dated January 15, 1992 and concerns the documented 1991 Bill of Rights Day action. The ZIP code in the address is reproduced as written in the source.

Related Records

ACLU-00, Always Causing Legal Unrest: Origins, Overview, and Document Guide; ACLU-01, the large framed “We’d Rather Be Destroying Pornography” artwork; ACLU-03, the “Happy Bill of Rights Day” leaflet and press statement; ACLU-04, SFPD Incident Report No. 911701682; and the original signed cease-and-desist letter from Dorothy Ehrlich, held by Nikki Craft for later publication.

Priority Keywords / Subject Tags

Nikki Craft, Dorothy Ehrlich, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Northern California, Always Causing Legal Unrest, Bill of Rights Day, December 15 1991, Westin Hotel San Francisco, Happy Bill of Rights Day leaflet, Matthew Coles, Marcia Gallo, Melissa Farley, Penny Seator, feminist direct action, feminist leafleting, political protest, censorship, prior restraint, discriminatory enforcement, assault allegation, vandalism, framed feminist artwork, press misrepresentation, unsent letter, feminist archives

Complete Copyable Description

Title: Unsent Letter to Dorothy Ehrlich Regarding the December 15, 1991 ACLU Bill of Rights Day Action. Creator: Nikki Craft. Date: January 15, 1992. Status: unsent draft letter. This document is Nikki Craft’s near-contemporaneous account of the December 15, 1991 ACLU Bill of Rights Day action at the Westin Hotel in San Francisco. Craft disputes statements she said Dorothy Ehrlich made to the press, describes seven women leafleting in public areas, reports that demonstrators were grabbed and selectively required to produce tickets, and recounts the incident in which ACLU staff attorney Matthew Coles grabbed her and the large framed artwork she carried, breaking the frame and causing minor cuts to her fingers. The letter also challenges the claim that the ACLU facilitated the leafleting and argues that lying about political activity is a form of censorship. The letter was never sent and is preserved as an unsent first-person historical account. The publication version contains only minor spelling, punctuation, and typographical corrections. Series: Nikki Craft Archival Project - Always Causing Legal Unrest. Family: ACLU-04a.

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